Hydrogen engine and the way of hydrogen fuel production for its power supply

ABSTRACT

A combustion engine having a pair of two-chamber cylinders, in which double ended pistons are located and directed toward themselves oppositely by the angle 180° and compressed together via crankshafts consisting of two crank elements, which are linked rotationally backward by a spacer bearing. The compression is realized with the use of two connecting rod pairs, from which each connecting rod is linked on the one side to with one crank element, whereas the second connecting rod ends are linked to one of shafts, out of which each shaft is connected with one of pistons via a valve rod. In the middle of each cylinder&#39;s wall the outlet channel of compressed air is located as well as the outlet channel of products of combustion together with air. In the head of each cylinder and in the compartment the fuel injector, the water vapor injector and the ignition element are located.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is the U.S. national phase of PCT Application No. PCT/PL2015/000157 filed on Sep. 28, 2015, which claims priority to PL Patent Application No. P.413737 filed on Aug. 31, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The object of the innovation is the hydrogen engine and the way of hydrogen fuel production for its power supply intended to be used in the drive of land vehicles, aerial vehicles and water vehicles, as well as in various kinds of machinery.

BACKGROUND

The combustion engine known from the patent description U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,429 has a piston which operates on its two sides, contains at least one cylinder with a double symmetrical piston located inside, which divides the free space of the cylinder into two combustion chambers. Double-sided dosing heads of the cylinder are equipped with fuel supply valves and fumes discharge valves as well as with an ignition element in the form of an ignition or incandescent plug, In the double piston on its one side a push-rod is stiffly embedded, which is moved outside of the cylinder through a sealed slot in a compartment which separates the cylinder from an engine casing. The end of this rod is connected with a stabilizer yoke, and the latter is connected with a power transfer yoke, and in the place where these two yokes are connected there is a swing arm of a stability limiter, which is linked to the engine casing by the other side. By its other side the power transfer yoke is connected with a crankshaft, which constitutes a part of a crank unit, on whose one side is a flywheel and on the other is a timing wheel, connected via a timing belt with a camshaft. The oil circulation system in the lubrication system has a task to supply oil to the space formed between a cylindrical necking in the middle of the piston and the central part of the cylinder, from where oil is subsequently moved to an oil sump through the proper system of canals, which are located inside the piston, and further through a groove, situated on a rod axis of a piston rod. Cams embedded on the camshaft steer correspondingly via valve lifters of heads which close the cylinder in compression with work of the ignition plug. The engine operates in the four-stroke alternate cycle for each combustion chamber every 180 degrees of a crankshaft rotation.

Moreover, he piston and crank system known from the patent description PL 212301 in the two-stroke combustion engine, which has a casing with a built-in guide and a cylinder which is attached to it. The guide is a base for the cylinder with a piston in it, whose motion is contactless. The guide, on which the piston is attached motionlessly, moves in the guide by the reciprocating motion. On the moving guide a sealing scraper ring is located, which prevents oil from getting to a sucking chamber. Additionally, in the known piston and crank system the piston guide is connected with one part of a connecting strip through a slide bearing. The connecting strip consists of two parts associated telescopically. On the other side of the connecting strip a sliding sleeve moves, which is linked in an oscillating way to a connecting-rod of the crankshaft through the slide bearing and also it is linked to a connecting-rod of an eccentric through the slide bearing. The eccentric is driven from the crankshaft through a drive wheel and a chain transmission. The connecting-rod of the eccentric is attached to the eccentric in an oscillating way, which moves the sliding sleeve on the connecting strip by the reciprocating motion.

Furthermore, the internal combustion engine known from the patent description U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,382 powered by the hydrogen fuel is used in the drive of a motor scooter with a controlled amount of hydrogen. The hydrogen fuel amount control system employed in it causes the fuel injection into the engine's throttle considering a plethora of parameters, including the amount of hydrogen which is in hydrogen unit storage, which is monitored with the help of the hydrogen fuel measurement system located on the board and with the use of the microcontroller and many sensors.

SUMMARY

The way of producing and using hydrogen fuel with the use of the HHO generator is known, in which after the power supply delivered from an alternator, electrolysis of water from a car tank occurs. As a consequence of this process a non-explosive mixture of hydrogen and oxygen comes into being. This mixture is directly transferred to the engine fuel system together with sucked air and regular motor fuel. The known technique allows to restrain fuel usage in the combustion engine, but it does not eliminate it.

According to the invention the engine has one pair of two-chamber cylinders which are attached to the engine casing, in which two-sided reciprocating pistons are located, and cylinders together with pistons are directed toward themselves oppositely by the angle 180° in the plane of the rotation axis of the divided crankshaft located in the casing which conjugate them, or they may be in the position of the reciprocal location in a V-shape. The crankshaft consists of two identical crank elements, which are directed opposite themselves along their conjoint axis and linked together in a counter-rotating way with the help of a spacer bearing. Moreover, the crankshaft on its two sides has cranks for the drive transmission which are brought outside. The conjugating function of the crankshaft is accomplished with the use of two identical pairs of connecting-rods, out of which each connecting-rod of a given pair is rotationally linked by its one end to one counter-rotating crank element of the crankshaft, whereas the other ends of this pair of connecting-rods are connected with one of two transverse shafts, out of which each is stiffly linked in an oscillating way to one from the pair of conjugated pistons through a valve rod that is perpendicular to each shaft. In the middle of the wall of each cylinder, whose internal surface is favorably covered with the anticorrosive coating, the inlet channel of compressed air and the outlet channel of products of combustion together with air are located. In the head of each cylinder as well as in its lower compartment the fuel injector, the water vapor injector and the ignition element are situated. In the middle of each lower compartment the slide linear bearing is embedded, through which the valve rod is transferred. The slide bearing is equipped from underneath with a sealing annular element, above which on the remaining part of the slide bearing, between its wall and the surface of the valve rod shaft, a lubricating micro slot is formed. The water vapor injectors assigned to each cylinder are connected with a device for dispensing the water vapor through their water vapor cables, and this device is supplied by the appropriate cylinder of the water vapor generator mounted on the exhaust pipe. Besides, on each particular exhaust pipe a thermocouple is installed, and in the light of their passages turbines generators are built in as well as turbines of a supportive fan. The supportive fan leads, via assigned to the opposite fan the main fan, scavenge air to the inlet channel compressed air of this cylinder. The electrical outputs of all generators are connected in parallel with the electrical outputs of all thermoelectric couples and are led to an accumulator, which supplies electrical power to the HHO generator, by assisting with energy from the alternator. The gas pipe of this generator with oxygen are led to the ultraviolet ionizer, and from that place it is further led to one of the inlets of the three-way gas switch, to whose second entry the gas pipe with hydrogen from the HHO generator is channeled. The gas switch outlet is linked in parallel to inlets of all individual fuel feeders through the compressor, whereas the fuel feeders are linked to all fuel injectors assigned to them.

The way of producing hydrogen fuel according to the invention includes the dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen in the process of electrolysis with the use of the HHO generator, and subsequently obtained oxygen undergoes ionization in order to increase energy potential of atoms by means of supplement of the covalent layer of atoms up to 8 electrons. Ionized oxygen is then combined with hydrogen from the HHO generator, whereas the obtained gas mixture is transferred as fuel to the fuel system.

The main exploitative advantage of the engine according to the invention is the water supply and related to this lack of gas exhausts which pollute the environment as well as the low cost of its exploitation. Moreover, as a result of using two-chamber cylinders with pistons directed oppositely toward themselves in the system of valveless work as well as the linkage of pistons together via the divided crankshaft, the elimination of vibrations of the engine block has been obtained and also the favorable ratio of power to mass. It has given a relatively light engine with favorable exploitative parameters.

Among technical conveniences stemming from the innovation is the conjunction of two positive features of the valveless engine with the known solution of the engine with the double piston, which divides the free space of the cylinder into two combustion chambers, in which two work cycles occur during the full turn of the crankshaft. The other benefit is also complete and effective disconnecting of the zone of the cylinder combustion chambers from the crank space casing, which prevents oil from being transferred to excreted combustion products, as well as from water remains entering from the combustion chamber to the crank space casing. With regard to that there is no need to employ a generally used resonant exhaust system, yet furthermore the persistency of all elements of the crank system is enhanced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the ideological scheme of the hydrogen two-cylinder engine;

FIG. 2 shows the explanatory drawing of the divided crankshaft with pistons, while in the remaining drawings the following work cycles of the engine on the example of the piston in one of cylinders are illustrated for the explanatory purpose;

FIG. 3 the compression cycle in the upper combustion chamber is shown and the perfusion of the lower combustion chamber;

FIG. 4 the engine is shown during the piston's movement toward DPM as well as the fuel injection into the lower combustion chamber;

FIG. 5 shows the compression cycle in the lower combustion chamber and the perfusion of the upper combustion chamber, whereas in the FIG. 6 the engine is illustrated during the piston's movement toward GMP as well as the fuel injection into the upper combustion chamber.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The engine has one pair of two-chamber cylinders 2 attached to the casing 1, in which two-sided reciprocating pistons 3 are located, while cylinders 2 with pistons 3 are directed toward themselves oppositely by the angle 180° in the plane of the rotation axis of the divided crankshaft 4 which conjugate them together and is situated in the casing 1. Each piston 3 has one hollow 3 a on the whole circuit of its lateral surface. The crankshaft 4 comprises two identical crank elements 4 a and 4 b, which are directed toward themselves oppositely along their conjoint rotation axis and they are connected together rotationally backward around this axis with the help of the spacer bearing 5. Moreover, the crankshaft 4 has shafts 6 a and 6 b on both sides which are taken out and they transfer the drive. The conjugate function of the crankshaft 4 is realized with the use of two identical connecting-rod pairs 7 a and 7 b, out of which each connecting-rod 7 a and 7 b of a given pair is rotationally linked by one of its end to one of counter-rotating craft elements 4 a and 4 b of the crankshaft 4, whereas the other ends of this pair of connecting-rods are connected in an oscillating way with one of two transverse shafts 8, out of which each shaft is stiffly connected with one pair of conjugated pistons 3 via the perpendicular valve rod 9. Taking into consideration the above, each valve rod 9, which is connected to one of pistons 3 of one pair two connecting-rods 7 a and 7 b are assigned, each one drives attached to it the craft element 4 a or 4 b in the opposite direction. Apart from that, in the middle of each cylinder's wall 2, whose internal surface is covered with the diamond coating, the outlet channel of compressed air is located 0 as well as the outlet channel of products of combustion together with air H In the head 2 of each cylinder 2 and in the area of the lower compartment 13 the fuel injector 14, the water vapor injector 5 and the ignition element 16 are located in the form of the ignition plug. In the middle of each lower compartment 13 the linear slide bearing 17 is embedded, through which the valve rod 9 is transferred in the form of the grinded shaft. The slide bearing 17 is equipped from below with the annular sealing ring 18, above which on the remaining part of the slide bearing 17, between its wall and the surface of the valve rod craft 9, the lubricating micro slot 19 is formed. Assigned to each cylinder 2 water vapor injectors 15 are connected by their water vapor cables 20 to the device for dosing water vapor 21, which meanwhile is driven from the proper cylinder 2 of the water vapor generator 23 that is mounted on the exhaust pipe 22. Furthermore, on each exhaust pipe 22 the thermocouple 24 is installed, and in the light of their passages the generator turbines 25 and turbines of the supportive fan 26 are mounted. The supportive fan 26 leads, via assigned to the opposite cylinder 2 the main fan 27, scavenge air to the inlet channel of compressed air 8 of this cylinder 2. Electric outlets of all turbines 25 are linked in parallel to electric outlets of all thermocouples 24 and they are led to the accumulator 28, which supplies electric energy of HHO generator 29 with the support of energy delivered from the alternator which is not shown in the drawing. The gas pipe of the HHO generator 29 with oxygen is led to the ultraviolet ionizer 30, and from that place it is further led to one of inlets of the three-way gas connector 31, to whose second inlet the gas pipe with hydrogen is transferred from the HHO generator 29. The outlet of the gas connector 31 is adjoined in parallel to inlets of all individual fuel feeders 33 via the compressor 32. The outlets of all individual fuel feeders are connected with all fuel injectors of the engine 14 which are assigned to them.

The engine according to the invention is supplied with the mixture of hydrogen and ionized oxygen, which are generated by oxygen in its autonomic system of hydrogen fuel production. The principal element of the system is the HHO generator 29, in which electrolysis of water, extracted from the water tank not shown in the drawing, takes place. This water is appropriately adjusted to the process of electrolysis. Electric energy needed for electrolysis is provided from the accumulator 28 with the help of interconnected electric outlets of all thermocouples 24, generators 25 and the alternator which is not illustrated in the drawing. From the HHO generator electrolysis products are derived in the form of oxygen and hydrogen, and oxygen is directed toward the ultraviolet ionizer 30, whereas after the ionization and the enhancement of energy potential of atoms it is combined with hydrogen in the gas connector 31, subsequently the mixture of gases undergoes compression in the compressor 32 and under very high pressure it is transferred to all fuel feeders 33. Those feeders, whose operation is ruled by the controller invisible in the drawing, lead gas fuel in appropriate cycles of engine's work to particular fuel injectors 14.

The engine's operation in its particular work phases is identical with regard to both pistons conjugated together, while owing to constructional features of mutually reversed position of one pair of cylinders 2, their work cycles are moved in the phase by the angle 180°. Consequently, in order to simplify the description it would be sufficient to focus on work of only one unit of cylinders 2 with the piston 3 assigned to it in relation with the rest cooperating engine's subassemblies.

Compressed hydrogen fuel is supplied to the cylinder's space 2 over the piston 3, which constitutes the upper combustion chamber, with the help of the fuel injector 14. Nearby the GMP the fuel ignition takes place from the spark of the ignition plug, which is presented in the FIG. 3. When the highest temperature around 7000° C. is achieved in the upper combustion chamber the jet of water vapour occurs via the water vapour injector 15, which leads to chamber being chilled up to 3500° C., with the simultaneous decomposition of water vapor into oxygen and hydrogen due to the high temperature of water vapour. The emergence of the extra portion of fuel in the combustion chamber derived in the aforementioned way causes its autoignition and the enhancement of pressure in the space of this cylinder 2 chamber. In the course of described combustion processes the power stroke of the piston 3 occurs as it goes down toward the crankshaft 4. At the time when the piston 3 is situated on the axis of the outlet channel of compressed air 10 and the outlet channel of products of combustion together with air compressed air washes and chills the internal surface of its hollow 3 a as well as the cylinder's 2 surface located between sealing rings 3 b. Compressed air used in cylinder's 2 chambers in order to wash and rinse them is delivered from the attached to the outlet channel of compressed air 10 the main fan 27, and the latter is powered by air transferred by the supportive fan 26 that is driven by kinetic energy of outlet gases, which come out of the exhaust pipe linked to the second compressed cylinder 2. Additionally, in this phase of engine's work, fuel from the lower fuel injector 14 is supplied into the cylinder's 2 space under the piston 3, which constitutes the lower combustion chamber, as presented in the FIG. 4. Fuel undergoes compression in the course of the further downward movement of the piston 3 toward the crankshaft 4. Subsequently, the outlet channel of compressed air 10 as well as the outlet channel of products of combustion together with air H are opened by the piston 3 for the upper cylinder's 2 chamber, and as a consequence air which is supplied to this part of the cylinder 2 pushes out the remaining combustion products formed there. While the piston 3 approaches nearby DMP, as shown in the FIG. 5, the ignition of fuel supplied there occurs caused by the spark of the lower ignition plug as well as the aforementioned process of supplying water vapor into the lower combustion chamber is repeated with the help of the water vapor injector 15, and also the process of its division into oxygen and hydrogen as well as combustion of fuel which came into being in this way and the upward power stroke of the piston 3 toward the crankshaft 4. At the time when the piston 3 moves upward on the axis of the outlet channel of compressed air 0 and the outlet channel of products of combustion together with air 1, compressed air washes again and chills the internal surface of its hollow 3 a as well as the cylinder's 2 surface situated between sealing rings 3 b, whereas fuel from the upper fuel injector 14 is supplied to the cylinder's 2 space over the piston 3, which is illustrated in the FIG. 6. In the course of the further move of the piston 3 upward the compression of fuel occurs in the upper part of the cylinder 2 and simultaneously the lower part of the cylinder 2 is rinsed with air supplied by the outlet channel of compressed air 10, which is depicted in the FIG. 3, afterwards the cycle of engine's work is repeated. The source of water vapor for the engine power is the water vapor generator 23, mounted on the exhaust pipe 22, from where water vapor is supplied to water vapor injectors 15 through devices for dosing water vapor 21, which are launched in the subsequent cycles of engine's work by the appropriate controller. The purpose of employing the thermocouple 24 mounted on the exhaust pipe 22 and the generator 25 driven by outlet gases is to gain maximal recovery from outlet gases energy and its use for the accumulator 28 power, which is the basic source of electric current for electrolysis of water in the HHO generator 29.

The engine according to the invention has broad application in the drive of vehicles, including aerial and water vehicles. Obtained counter rotation of crank elements 4 a and 4 b of the crankshaft 4 and shafts 6 a and 6 b for power transmission connected with them may be particularly used in two-impeller helicopters. In this case it is possible to attach impellers directly on two counter-rotating shafts of crank elements, and as a consequence the gyrostatic moment of impellers is eliminated, and moreover their drive does not require the use of the gearing, which decreases engine's efficiency.

Furthermore, the prospective field in which the engine according to the invention could be used for the drive of ships and submarines considering the unending source of fuel which in this case is water. In particular it is related to unmanned aerial vehicles used on marine areas, as it may provide them with the unlimited serviceless range given the lack of necessity of fuel supplement.

Another equally significant economic advantage of the engine according to the invention is the opportunity to use it in the ecological production of electric power as well as heat in both big and small heat and power plant, especially in the rural and poorly urbanized areas. 

1. A hydrogen engine which comprises the casing with the connecting-rod system and attached to it, closed from above with the head, cylinders, whereas inside each cylinder there is a two-sided reciprocating piston with sealing rings, which divides the internal space of the cylinder into two combustion chambers, with the valve rod mounted on one side, whose end comes out of the cylinder's chamber with the use of the linear slide bearing, situated in the lower compartment of the cylinder, moreover it comprises ignition elements and elements of the hydrogen fuel insertion into combustion chamber, and apart from that it has control systems of the hydrogen fuel injection, wherein, it has at least one pair of two-chamber cylinders fastened to the casting, in which two-sided reciprocating pistons are situated, while cylinders along with pistons are directed toward themselves by the angle 180° on the rotation axis of the compressing them divided crankshaft, located on the casing, or they are in the position of the reciprocal location in a V-shape, however the crankshaft consists of two identical crank elements, which are directed toward themselves oppositely along their conjoint rotation axis and they are connected together rotationally backward around this axis with the help of the spacer bearing, moreover, the crankshaft has shafts on both sides which are taken out and they transfer the drive, and the compress function of the crankshaft is realized with the use of two identical connecting-rod pairs, out of which each connecting-rod of a given pair is rotationally linked by one of its end to one of counter-rotating craft elements of the crankshaft, whereas the other ends of this pair of connecting-rods are connected in an oscillating way with one of two transverse shafts, out of which each shaft is stiffly connected with one pair of conjugated pistons via the valve rod that is the perpendicular to it, apart from that, in the middle of each cylinder's wall, whose internal surface is covered with the anticorrosive coating, at least one outlet channel of compressed air and at least one outlet channel of products of combustion together with air are located, besides in the head of each cylinder and in its lower compartment at least one fuel injector at least one water vapor injector and at least one ignition element are located, what is more in the middle of each lower compartment the linear slide bearing is mounded, through which the valve rod is transferred, and the slide bearing is equipped from below with the annular sealing ring, above which on the remaining part of the slide bearing, between its wall and the surface of the valve rod craft, the lubricating micro slot is formed.
 2. The engine according to claim 1, wherein each piston has on its whole side surface at least one hollow.
 3. The engine according to claim 1, wherein water vapor injectors assigned to each cylinder are connected by their water vapor cables to the device for dosing water vapor, which is driven from the water vapor generator mounted on the exhaust pipe of this cylinder.
 4. The engine according to claim 3, wherein on each exhaust pipe taken out of cylinders the thermocouple is mounted, and in the light of its passage the generator turbines and supportive turbines of the fan are mounted, the supportive fan leads, via assigned to the opposite cylinder the main fan, scavenge air to the inlet channel of compressed air of this cylinder, apart from that electric outlets of all generators are collaterally linked to electric outlets of all thermocouples and led to the accumulator, which supplies electric energy of HHO generator, and the gas pipe of this generator is led with oxygen to the ultraviolet ionizer, and from that place it is further led to one of inlets of the three-way gas connector, to whose second inlet the gas pipe with hydrogen is transferred from the HHO generator. whereas the outlet of the gas connector is adjoined in parallel to inlets of all individual fuel feeders via the compressor and the outlets of all individual fuel feeders are connected with all fuel injectors of the engine which are assigned to them.
 5. The way of producing hydrogen fuel with the use of the HHO generator, wherein oxygen and hydrogen derived from the water electrolysis in the HHO generator are again combined after increasing energy potential of oxygen atoms as a result of undergoing the ionization process through the influence of the ultraviolet radiation on the external electron layers of atoms, and afterwards mixed gases are transferred to the fuel system of the engine.
 6. The engine according to claim 2, wherein water vapor injectors assigned to each cylinder are connected by their water vapor cables to the device for dosing water vapor, which is driven from the water vapor generator mounted on the exhaust pipe of this cylinder. 